undergraduate

American  

[uhn-der-graj-oo-it, -eyt] / ˌʌn dərˈgrædʒ u ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

noun

1. a student in a university or college who has not received a first, especially a bachelor's, degree.

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adjective

1. having the standing of an undergraduate.

2. of, for, pertaining to, or characteristic of undergraduates.

undergraduate British  

/ ˌʌndəˈɡrædjʊɪt /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: undergrad.  a person studying in a university for a first degree

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Other Word Forms

• nonundergraduate noun
• undergraduateship noun

Etymology

Origin of undergraduate

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + graduate

Compare meaning

How does undergraduate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• undergraduate vs. postgraduate

Example Sentences

She has an undergraduate and a master’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in journalism, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

From The Wall Street Journal

I lost dear classmates to leukemia when I was an undergraduate at Chapman University 25 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

As an undergraduate studying psychology at Chico State, Gabriel Muñoz enrolled in a program that paid him to do summer research and matched him up with mentors and gave him access to career workshops.

From Los Angeles Times

She also has an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University.

From The Wall Street Journal

But with Yale University’s recent announcement of free tuition for undergraduate students from families with incomes below $200,000, the question is: Has the math truly changed for the middle class?

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• freshman
• junior
• senior
• sophomore
• student